Digital economy strategy (Industry Canada, Canadian Heritage and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada)

In June 2009, Industry Canada announced plans to develop a digital economy strategy. Other federal departments linked to the development of the strategy include Canadian Heritage and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (Government of Canada, 2010). The creation of the plan is supported by the recommendations in a recent report by the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications called Plan for a Digital Canada. The report recommended a strategy for an inclusive digital society, along with a new Minister of Digital Policy, and the deployment of a national broadband network that could deliver essential digital services to all citizens.

Shortly after announcing its plans to develop a digital economy strategy, Industry Canada opened public consultations for “feedback from all interested parties on priorities and targets” (Industry Canada, 2010a, para 8). One of the consultation’s five discussion themes was: Building a World-Class Digital Infrastructure, which included mention of rural and remote communities (Industry Canada, 2010b, p. 2). However, nowhere does this initial consultation paper refer to the unique needs of First Nations and Inuit communities, in terms of broadband infrastructure and connectivity services (Industry Canada, 2010c). This oversight fails to consider the conclusions of evaluations of programs like the Aboriginal Canada Portal (Anderson, 2005). Furthermore, it represses the long history of successful First Nations and Inuit community-based communications infrastructure and services development, which stretches at least as far as the Wawatay Native Communications Society’s 1974 efforts to establish a community radio system (O’Donnell et al, 2010; see also Alia, 2010; Roth, 2005).